IR #7 Hamilton Creek
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FINAL REPORT PHASE I ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT HAMILITON CREEK IR #7, Lower Nicola Indian Band Merritt, British Columbia Prepared for Lower Nicola Indian Band 181 Nawishaskin Lane Merritt, B.C. V1K 0A7 Submitted by Columbia Environmental Consulting Ltd. RR#2, Site 55, Compartment 10 Penticton, BC. V2A 6J7 Project No: 10-0374 April, 2011 RR#2, Site 55, Compartment 10 Penticton, BC. V2A 6J7 April 30, 2011 Lower Nicola Indian Band 181 Nawishaskin Lane Merritt, B.C. V1K 0A7 Attention: John Keating and Sharon Parsons, LNIB Lands and Leasing Office Subject: Final Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of the Hamilton Creek IR #7, Lower Nicola Indian Band, Merritt, BC. We trust that this report meets your present needs. One hard copy of the final report and a CD-ROM including the source files and an Adobe pdf version have been provided. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or comments, or if you require anything further. Yours truly, Columbia Environmental Consulting Ltd. Per: Dwight Shanner, R.P.Bio Project Manager EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Columbia Environmental Consulting Ltd. (Columbia) was contracted by the Lower Nicola Indian Band (LNIB) on behalf of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) to conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of the Hamilton Indian Reserve #7, herein referred to as the “Site”. The first step in site characterization is to conduct a Phase I ESA. During this phase, information is gathered about site layout and previous activities and/or operations that may have caused contamination at the Site. The Phase I ESA consisted of the following: records review; interviews with regulatory officials and personnel knowledgeable about the Site; site reconnaissance; and information evaluation and preparation of the report provided herein. The Phase I ESA was conducted as per the requirements of the CSA document Z768-01 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, April 2003. The Phase 1 ESA focused on preliminary areas of interest identified through historical document review, and interviews. In general, all residential structures were excluded unless information was gathered to suggest contamination or external visual observations indicated potential contamination. Specific residential structures listed for inspection at the request of the First Nation or INAC require the permission from the First Nation and the Certificate of Possession holder. Hamilton Creek IR#7 is an irregular shape (roughly rectangular) and is 4400 acres in size and located 17 km east of Merritt, BC. Coordinates for the Site are zone 10 675263E, 5553074N on NTS map sheet 092I02. The reserve includes a Cabin (with wood heating and no utilities) and outhouse, and cattle range the current land use categorized as wild lands and agricultural. The Cabin is a non-permanent residence with a propane tank utilized for cooking fuel. Interviewees included elders, the lands department, and the residents from the LNIB familiar with the reserve. Interviews with LNIB members had no concerns. No commercial development is on the reserve and therefore there were no environmental concerns. No on-site APECs were identified during this investigation. No further environmental assessment is recommended for the Site at this time. Lower Nicola Indian Band & INAC Phase I ESA Hamilton Creek IR #7 i TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 OBJECTIVE..................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 SITE BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 SCOPE OF WORK ............................................................................................................................ 1 3.0 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................. 2 3.1 RECORDS REVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 2 3.2 INTERVIEWS ................................................................................................................................. 2 3.3 SITE VISIT ...................................................................................................................................... 2 4.0 HISTORICAL RECORDS REVIEW ............................................................................................... 2 4.1 RECORDS REVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 2 4.1.1 REVIEW OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS............................................................................................... 3 4.1.2 CITY DIRECTORIES ............................................................................................................................ 4 4.1.3 MERRIT FIRE DEPARTMENT ............................................................................................................. 4 4.1.4 HISTORICAL TITLE SEARCH ............................................................................................................. 4 4.2 AGENCY REVIEW ......................................................................................................................... 4 4.2.1 LOWER NICOLA INDIAN BAND ......................................................................................................... 4 4.2.2 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT .................................................................................................................. 4 4.2.3 MINISTRY OF TOURISM ..................................................................................................................... 5 4.2.4 BC MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT – SITE REGISTRY ...................................................................... 5 4.2.5 CITY OF MERRITT ............................................................................................................................... 5 4.2.6 MERRITT MUSEUM & ARCHIVES ..................................................................................................... 5 4.2.7 THE THOMPSON NICOLA REGIONAL DISTRICT ............................................................................ 6 4.2.8 TERASEN (FORMERLY BC GAS) ........................................................................................................ 6 4.2.9 FORTIS BC (FORMERLY BC HYDRO) ............................................................................................... 6 4.3 PREVIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS ................................................................. 6 4.4 INTERVIEWS ................................................................................................................................. 6 5.0 SITE DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................................ 7 5.1 GENERAL PROPERTY DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................... 7 5.2 TOPOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................... 7 5.3 GEOLOGY....................................................................................................................................... 7 5.4 SURFACE DRAINAGE .................................................................................................................. 8 5.5 CLIMATE DATA ............................................................................................................................ 8 5.6 UTILITIES ....................................................................................................................................... 8 5.7 ADJACENT PROPERTIES ............................................................................................................. 8 5.8 VALUED ECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS (VECS) ........................................................................ 9 5.9 WATER WELLS.............................................................................................................................. 9 5.10 HISTORICAL LAND USE .............................................................................................................. 9 5.11 REGULATORY HISTORY ........................................................................................................... 10 Lower Nicola Indian Band & INAC Phase I ESA Hamilton Creek IR #7 ii 6.0 FINDINGS ......................................................................................................................................... 10 6.1 FUEL / CHEMICAL HANDLING AND STORAGE .................................................................... 10 6.2 SOLID WASTE MATERIALS ..................................................................................................... 10 6.3 SPILLS AND STAIN AREAS ....................................................................................................... 10 6.4 WASTEWATER DISCHARGE .................................................................................................... 10 6.5 AIR DISCHARGES ....................................................................................................................... 10 6.6 POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCB) ..............................................................................